by Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

by Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON - Background investigators were aware in 2007 that Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis failed to disclose that he had been arrested and had a string of bad debts prior to joining the military, but he was granted a secret clearance anyway, according to military documents released Monday.

After he enlisted in the Navy in May 2007, an FBI fingerprint check indicated that he had been charged with malicious mischief in 2004, according to the Navy. Police reports indicated he was arrested after shooting the tires of a parked car in a dispute with a construction worker in Seattle.

He did not disclose that or any credit problems on the form he was required to fill out as part of his security clearance process.

Investigators conducted an interview "regarding the subject's unadmitted criminal offense and financial issues," according to a report by the Office of Personnel Management, a government agency

Alexis, 34, was killed after a shooting rampage at the Navy Yard where he killed 12 people on Sept. 16. At the time he was out of the Navy and was working as a subcontractor at the base.

Still, Alexis' background in the Navy has been scrutinized as officials attempt to determine whether there were red flags in Alexis' naval service and elsewhere that were overlooked.

The OPM background report was forwarded to the Navy, but it did not mention the shooting. Instead it described a situation in which Alexis deflated the tires of the man with whom he was having a dispute.

OPM said the Seattle Police Department would not provide records and so investigators turned to the courts. The court records included the malicious mischief offense, but since no charges were filed there were no detailed records indicating allegations of a weapon or precisely what happened.

OPM said it cannot compel local police departments to turn over records.

Alexis also told investigators that he did not disclose the Seattle incident on the questionnaire because the charge was dismissed.

He was arrested in connection with the Seattle incident and jailed overnight, but no charges were ever filed.

The Navy said it was not aware of the shooting allegations when a clearance was granted, though it is not clear whether that would have led to a denial of his clearance, since no charges were filed.

Typically, OPM oversees the background investigation and the military determines whether to grant a clearance based on what is found.

For its part the, OPM said it conducted the investigation properly. In a statement attributed to Mert Miller, the associate director for federal investigative services, the OPM said "the appropriate federal records were obtained, and the required fieldwork was performed."

The OPM report also contained a credit history that showed Alexis had a string of bad debt related to school, car and other loans. Alexis told investigators that he answered no to the question asking whether he had delinquent debt because he was working on a plan to pay it off.

OPM said it conducted the background check on Alexis in conjunction with a contractor, USIS.

After a review of Alexis' naval records, Juan Garcia, assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower, has recommended that future OPM investigative reports include "any available police documents related to the subject being investigated for clearance eligibility," according to a memorandum released by the Navy.